Courses
The listing of a course description here does not guarantee a course’s being offered in a particular term. Please refer to the published schedule of classes on the MyBU Student Portal for confirmation a class is actually being taught and for specific course meeting dates and times.
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CFA MP 180: Group Guitar 1: Beginning
Beginning Guitar is an introduction to the fundamentals of guitar playing. No previous experience is necessary. By learning music from the Beatles to Bach to the blues, we will cover basic chords, scales, music notation and both pick and finger-style playing. Students should bring their own guitars. Several are available for rent from the Music Performance office (CFA room 240, 617-353-2391). 1 cr. -
CFA MP 181: Group Guitar 2: Intermediate
Intermediate Guitar is designed for students who have acquired some basic guitar and reading skills. This section includes work with movable (barre) chord fingerings, movable scale fingerings, improvisation, and improving one's knowledge of the fingerboard. Repertoire includes everything from rock and blues classics to jazz standards. Students should bring their own guitars. Several are available for rent from the Music Performance office (CFA room 240, 617-353-2391). 1 cr. -
CFA MP 182: Group Guitar 3: Advanced
Advanced Guitar is for more experienced guitar students. This section focuses on improving one's playing through mastery of chord and scale fingerings, understanding the music theory behind them, and putting all that information and physical skill to work in the context of improvising and accompanying a selection of jazz standards. Players interested in any style of music can benefit from this skill-building work. Students should bring their own guitars. Several are available for rent from the Music Performance office (CFA room 240, 617-353-2391). 1 cr. -
CFA MP 185: Non-major Private Music Instruction: Other Instruments (Hour)
14 1-hour private lessons provided for students not majoring in performance on non-traditional instruments supported by CFA, including guitar. Class is offered to students with or without prior experience and no pre-requisites are required. Open to CFA and non-CFA students. Course requires applied music fee. 1 cr. -
CFA MP 186: Non-major Private Music Instruction: Other Instruments (Half-hour)
14 1/2-hour private lessons provided for students not majoring in performance on non-traditional instruments supported by CFA, including guitar. Class is offered to students with or without prior experience and no pre-requisites are required. Open to CFA and non-CFA students. Course requires applied music fee. 1 cr. -
CFA MP 231: English Diction
Performance for singers: emphasis on style, interpretation, and perfection of English lyric diction. 1 cr. -
CFA MP 232: Italian Diction
Performance for singers: emphasis on style, interpretation, and perfection of Italian lyric diction. 1 cr. -
CFA MP 233: French Diction
Performance for singers: emphasis on style, interpretation, and perfection of French lyric diction. 1 cr. -
CFA MP 234: German Diction
Performance for singers: emphasis on style, interpretation, and perfection of German lyric diction. 1 cr. -
CFA MP 331: Song Literature 1
The development of the Lied genre will be traced from the 18th through 20th centuries, focusing on the poetry and musical setting. Study and performance of Lieder, including songs of Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, Wolf and Schoenberg. 2 cr. This course is part of a Hub sequence. Effective Fall 2020, this course, when taken with MP 332, fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Writing-Intensive Course, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy. -
CFA MP 332: Song Literature 2
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - The development of the melodie genre will be traced from the 19th through 20th centuries, focusing on the poetry and musical setting, as well as an overview of Russian art song. Study and performance, including works of Berlioz, Faure, Duparc, Debussy, Rachmaninoff, and Tchaikovsky. 2 cr. The development of the Lied genre will be traced from the 18th through 20th centuries, focusing on the poetry and musical setting. Study and performance of Lieder, including songs of Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, Wolf and Schoenberg. 2 cr. This course is part of a Hub sequence. Effective Fall 2020, this course, when taken with MP 331, fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Writing-Intensive Course, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy. -
CFA MP 333: Song Literature 3
The development of the English, Italian, and Spanish art song will be traced through study and performance. Among composers to be considered: Dowland, Purcell, Britten, Ives, Argento, Rorem, Granados, Turina. 2 cr. -
CFA MP 381: Introduction to the Organ
Introduction to the Organ, a companion course to CFA MP382 Introduction to the Harpsichord, will cover organ technique, repertoire, registration, history, and design. Basic techniques of touch, pedaling and coordination, and hymn playing will be addressed, as well as a survey of the literature written for the organ as related to developments in organ design and technology. Visits to local organs on and off campus will be included as well as classes regularly held in Room 426 where there is a seven-stop Noack mechanical studio organ. 1 cr. -
CFA MP 382: Harpsichord for Keyboard Majors
Study and performance of the harpsichord and its literature. Students instructed in the various aspects of harpsichord playing, including technique, registration, basso continuo realization, performance practice, national styles, and the major composers for the instrument. 2.0 credits. -
CFA MP 390: Intro to Conducting
This course covers basic skills, including use of each hand, study of musical terminology, transposition, tempi, and dynamics. Students learn simple score reading and receive conducting experience. -
CFA MP 391: Conducting 2
Basic skills--beat patterns, use of each hand, study of musical terminology, transposition, tempi, and dynamics; simple score reading and conducting experience with emphasis on instrumental techniques. 2 cr. -
CFA MP 403: New Music Ensemble
The course, featuring serious and immersive involvement in a number of works from the late twentieth and twenty-first centuries for smaller and larger ensembles, of traditional and non-traditional instrumentation, mostly unconducted, some of which involve non-traditional notation, advance the understanding of both the aesthetic issues in that music and the techniques necessary for rehearsal and performance of those particular works, and, by extension, other works, both contemporary and earlier. Through this process students will develop the required skills for teamwork and collaboration. This course is part of a Hub sequence, MP 403 and MP 404. Effective Fall 2022, completion of MP 403 and MP 404 fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Teamwork/Collaboration. -
CFA MP 404: New Music Ensemble
The course, featuring serious and immersive involvement in a number of works from the late twentieth and twenty-first centuries for smaller and larger ensembles, of traditional and non-traditional instrumentation, mostly unconducted, some of which involve non-traditional notation, advance the understanding of both the aesthetic issues in that music and the techniques necessary for rehearsal and performance of those particular works, and, by extension, other works, both contemporary and earlier. Through this process students will develop the required skills for teamwork and collaboration. This course is part of a Hub sequence, MP 403 and MP 404. Effective Fall 2022, completion of MP 403 and MP 404 fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Teamwork/Collaboration. -
CFA MP 408: Chamber Music 1
Study and performance of chamber music in various combinations. Chamber ensembles receive one hour of coaching each week with a member of the faculty. (May be repeated for credit.) 1 cr. Effective Fall 2019, this course is part of a Hub sequence: when taken with CFA MP 409, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Teamwork/Collaboration. -
CFA MP 409: Chamber Music 2
Study and performance of chamber music in various combinations. Chamber ensembles receive one hour of coaching each week with a member of the faculty. (May be repeated for credit.) 1 cr. Effective Fall 2019, this course is part of a Hub sequence: when taken with CFA MP 408, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Teamwork/Collaboration.
